The Searchlight in the Big Yard Swings Around with the Gun

Eastern NY Maximum Security Correctional Facility. I was nervous taking a photo (which is why it’s crooked and blurry), but hey, if Google can do it…

The Rondout Reservoir, yet another major piece of New York City infrastructure way up here in the Catskills.

View from the top of Yeagerville Road in the Southern Catskills, looking back towards the Gunks. This spot is not terribly far from John F’s soon-to-be-former house, but it’s about 2000 feet higher.

The further into the Catskills, the deeper the snowy, sandy, salty glop. I have always thought the town of Denning must get some kind of ridiculous bulk discount on sand, or else they are trying to become a beachfront community.

One of the nice waterfalls on Peekamoose-Sundown Road. This is basically the perfect road, over 10 miles through a Catskills valley with no intersections at all. The Rondout Creek starts in the hollow as a trickle, and follows the road for miles before dumping into the reservoir. The water in this photo will eventually provide crisp, clear mountain water for somebody’s toilet in Brooklyn.

When I got home I took a photo of my gloppy bike. Only after looking at the photo did I notice I had broken a spoke. Hooray for 32-spoke wheels! And disc brakes too, I suppose.

My winter rig is my cross bike, geared 1×10 with a 32T cassette, 28c road tires, and jury-rigged plastic fenders. I can’t figure out how to fender the front wheel in front of the head tube, though, which is inconvenient because it means descending at any speed results in a splattery face. I was mincing down the icy, snowy descents today, but I still ate a lot of salt.

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2 thoughts on “The Searchlight in the Big Yard Swings Around with the Gun”

Not sure, especially without being able to see what your bike’s front end looks like, but perhaps what you need is one o’ these. They’re a Reacharound Bracket, sold by River City Cycles in Portland, WA, where it rains a lot and fenders are de rigeur most of the year round.

After spending an hour at the LBS nursing my cross bike back to rideability after this 5-hour salty glopfest, I decided to build up a mountain singlespeed instead, with proper full fenders. I hope to get the new bike on the road next week, so stay tuned for adventures in 30 rpm climbing.